Regional situation update on MERS-CoV, April 2017

At the end of April 2017, a total of 1950 laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), including 714 deaths (case–fatality rate: 36.6%) were reported globally; the majority of these cases were reported from Saudi Arabia (1586 laboratory-confirmed cases, including 640 deaths with a case–fatality rate of 40.4%).

During the month of April, only 7 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported globally with no deaths. No health-care associated transmission or hospital outbreak was reported during this month. No new case was reported from the cluster of health-care associated transmissions reported from a hospital in the Riyadh region during the months of February and March. The date of reporting of last laboratory-confirmed case from this cluster was 11 March 2017.

Owing to improved infection prevention and control practices in the hospitals, the number of hospital-acquired cases of MERS has dropped significantly in 2015 and in 2016 compared to previous years. The demographic and epidemiological characteristics of the cases reported between January and April 2017 do not show any significant difference when compared with cases reported during the same period from 2013 to 2016. The percentage of secondary cases from MERS reported during the first quarter of 2017 was 19% compared to 26% during the same period in 2016, and 33% in 2015 and 39% in 2014.

The age group of those aged 50–59 years continues to be the group at highest risk for acquiring infection as primary cases. For secondary cases, it is the age group of 30–39 years who are mostly at risk. The deaths are higher in the age group of 50–59 years for primary cases and 70–79 years for secondary cases.